Partnership (cricket) facts for kids
In cricket, a partnership is when two players from the batting team are on the field at the same time. These two players are called batsmen. Each batsman stands in one of the two special areas on the field called batsmen's grounds.
When the batsmen run between these grounds, they score runs. They get one run each time both batsmen successfully swap places. But if both batsmen are not safely in a ground, the other team can try to hit the wicket (three sticks with bails on top) in that ground with the ball. If they do, the batsman closest to that wicket can be run out, which means they are out of the game for that turn.
The batsman who is at the striker's end of the pitch at the start of a delivery (when the bowler bowls the ball) is the one who tries to hit the ball. The other batsman, at the non-striker's end, just waits and runs when needed.
What Happens When a Batsman Gets Out?
Every time one of the two batsmen on the field gets out, they have to leave the field. Another batsman from their team then comes onto the field. This new batsman forms a new partnership with the batsman who did not get out.
How Partnerships Are Named
Partnerships are named based on how many batsmen have gotten out before and after that partnership starts. For example, imagine a team has already had one batsman get out. The next two batsmen who are playing together form the "second-wicket partnership." This is because it happens after the team has lost one "wicket" (had one batsman get out), but before the team loses its second wicket.
Sometimes, a batsman might retire (leave the field without being out). When this happens, a new batsman comes in, but the name of the partnership usually doesn't change because no "wicket" was lost.
Images for kids
-
Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar supporting each other during a game.
-
A scoreboard showing runs scored by the current partnership (25 runs).
-
Percy Holmes (left) and Herbert Sutcliffe shaking hands after a huge partnership of 555 runs in 1932.
